Greetings precious people, I do hope that you
are doing well today and enjoying the goodness of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. In today’s article we will continue our study in the Book of
Philippians. In our last study we saw how the Apostle Paul expressed his hearts
desire of knowing Jesus Christ and making Him known. He was of a single mind
and purpose and no matter what the cost of accomplishing that goal; he was
willing to pay it. As we continue our study now in the Book of Philippians, we
see further proof of this single mindedness that Paul had.

In Philippians 3:12-14 we read, “Not that I have
already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold
of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not
count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press
toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

It seems that some people are attempting to do
many things in their life only to do none of them well. Others are doing well
at doing nothing of any importance. It’s the proverbial 10% of the people do
90% of the work while remaining 90% of the people complain about how the work
is done. Which category do you fit into?

For sure, as you set your mind on doing what is
right and doing it well, there are no shortage of distractions and
interruptions to finishing the task. The Apostle Paul knew this all too well.
As he set out to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known, numerous obstacles
and interferences arose. There were the “religious” Jews who fought him every
step of the way and many times tried to silence him by death. Then there were
the idol makers and worshipers who felt threatened by this “new religion”
known as Christianity that demanded allegiance to only Jesus Christ. Then of
course there was Paul’s past, his being responsible for the deaths and
imprisonment of an untold number of Christians before he himself became a
Christian.

Any one of these is enough to discourage most
from continuing on with the task. And without doubt, Paul had his share of
times of discouragement and doubts but he kept on going. Aside from the grace
of God and the power of the Holy Spirit working in his life, the greatest asset
that enabled Paul to keep going, stay focused, and finish his course well was
the ability to “forget those things that were behind him and press on toward
the mark”.

The past, whether good or bad can be one of the
greatest inhibitors to finishing what God has called us to do. As we are facing
opposition in our attempt to obey the Lord, the “easy life” of the past can
become very appealing. When I speak of the “easy life” I mean that time in our
life when we were living for the world and ourselves. When obeying the Lord and
living a holy life meant nothing at all to us except maybe sheer boredom. Our
ability to exercise “selective” memory helps us look back at those times with
fondness and longing. If we are not careful we will find ourselves turning to
go back there and recapture the moment. The problem with this of course is our
inability or unwillingness to remember the bad parts of those times. How empty
our life was, without meaning and purpose, and the hopelessness that we felt.

The children of Israel that were freed from
bondage in Egypt exemplify this point. Soon after they left slavery in Egypt we
find them complaining to Moses and wanting to go back to the “easier” life. In Exodus
16:2-3 we read, “Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel
complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of
Israel said to them, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the
land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the
full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole
assembly with hunger."

Moses saw their complaining for what it was and responded in
Exodus 16:8, "This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in
the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your
complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not
against us but against the LORD."

Though they never went back to Egypt physically,
they never left it in their hearts. The entire forty years of wandering in the
wilderness were spent longing to go back and once again experience what they
remembered to be the “easy life”. Imagine desiring to return to horrible
slavery and bondage! This kept them from ever experiencing the “good life” that
God had for them in the land that was flowing with milk and honey. The root
cause of this was unbelief. They chose not to believe God and His Word. They
allowed the difficulties and trials that come when we obey the Lord to dissuade
them from taking God at His Word.

We read this warning in the Book of Hebrews
3:12-19, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while
it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the
deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said:
"Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For
who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led
by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who
sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that
they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that
they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

Unbelief is the opposite of faith. True Biblical
faith is obeying God’s Word regardless of how I feel inside, or the
circumstances that surround me, or the circumstances that await me. This is the
only kind of faith that pleases God and will enable you to finish what God has
called you to do.

Another aspect of our past that can keep us from
finishing well what God has given us to do is the “bad” things of the past.
Paul had more than his share of bad things. Prior to meeting Jesus Christ on
the road to Damascus where he surrendered his life to Jesus, Paul was a killer
of Christians. He felt it was God’s will for him to find every Christian he
could, arrest them, force them to denounce their faith in Christ or be put to
death.

This horrible past could have been used to keep
Paul from fulfilling God’s call on his life. Just think of how unworthy he
could have felt in traveling around telling others of the love of God when he
used to kill Christians. Satan loves to remind us of our past sin and failures.
It is amazing how easily I can remember the past that I would rather forget and
yet struggled to remember the Word of God and His goodness.

To not allow the past to dictate your life calls
for faith, faith in taking God at His Word. Listen to what God has said about
forgiving us of our sins. In 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am He who blots out your
transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah
55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for
He will abundantly pardon.” Jeremiah 31:34, “No more shall every man teach his
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all
shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD.
For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far
has He removed our transgressions from us.”

This is what God promises to any and everyone
that will humbly come to Christ asking forgiveness, repent of sin, and trust
Him for salvation. I know some people say concerning their past sin, “I cant
forgive myself.” This may sound humble and noble but in reality it is stupid.
If God has forgiven you then are you greater than God? Take God at His Word and
accept His forgiveness and begin living for Jesus. Quit allowing Satan to
remind you of your past sin and failings and get on with finishing what God has
called you to do.

Next time we will continue our study of this
wonderful book. Until then may the Lord richly bless you beloved. Also, please
keep me in prayer as I am in Israel right now.

If you have any questions,
comments, or prayer requests you can contact me at: Calvary Chapel of Alpine,
P.O. Box 1528, Alpine, Ca. 91903 or call 619-445-2589, or e-mail ccalpine@juno.com or visit our web site to
read all previous articles at www.calvarychapel.org/alpine/index.htm